Telescoping dress rack



y 5, 1959 P. FORMAN ET AL 2,885,090

TELESCOPING DRESS RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1957 IIII/IIIIIIIIIIIJ 7/1III,IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\v VIII/III,

May 5, 1959 P. FORMAN ET AL.

TELESCOPING DRESS RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1957 INVENTORJ PHILIP FORMAN DOROTHY FORMAN ATTORNEY U i d 2,885,090 TELESCOPING nnnss RACK Philip norms and Dorothy Forman, New York, N.Y. Application June 13, 1957, Serial N0. 665,403 2 Claims. ((51. 211- 175 and requires an excessive amount of storage space. I This is desirable neither in the manufacturing plant, nor in the equipment of the salesmen. Especially is this true of the latter situation, since it is impossible to store a conventional, full size dress rack in a space small enough to permit the dress rack to be used to advantage by a salesman.

One object of importance, accordingly, is to provide a dress rack which will be so designed as to be telescopically adjustable for the purpose of permitting the same to occupy less floor space than is normally required.

Another object is to provide a dress rack as described which will be telescopically adjustable not only horizontally, but also vertically, so that the overall height of the dress rack can be reduced as desired, as well as the overall length thereof.

A further object is to provide a telescopic dress rack which will be capable of manufacture at relatively low cost, and which will he possessed of a high degree or strength, despite the relatively low cost thereof.

Still another object of importance is to provide a dress rack which will be attractively designed, and will be adapted, when extended to its maximum degree, to receive a large number of garments, the capacity of the rack being substantially equal to that of conventional racks not having the advantages of the invention. I

Still another object is to provide a telescoping dress rack which will be so formed that the dress rack will'be telescopically adjustable not only for the purpose of storage, but also for the purpose of reducing or increasing its height as necessary, according to the particular garments to be suspended from the bar, whereby the dress rack can be adjusted to the exact size desired for the particular use to which it is being put.

A further object of importance is to provide a telescoping dress rack that will be of a design such as to permit the telescopic adjustments to be effected speedily and easily.

In another form of the invention, it is an object to provide a rack which will include a rectangular frame, which is telescopically adjustable in at least one direction, said frame having novel connections to the rollable support means such that the frame can have its greatest dimension extending either horizontally or vertically, whichever is desired, according to the length of the garments to be suspended therefrom and according to the rates Patent iatented May 5, 1959 2 total amount of floor space which it is desired that the dress rack use.

Still another object, in the modified construction, is to provide a novel means for detachably but fixedly connecting the frame to the support means.

For further comprehension ofthe invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dress rack according to the present invention, opened to its maximum extent.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detail sectional view substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dress rack in its closed position of adjustment.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified construction in which the frame is adapted to be extended either horizontally or vertically, so far as its greatest dimension is concerned.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded perspective view showing the connection between the frame and one of the rollable supports.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing another type of base bar construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 10 designates a pair of identical base or support bars, which may be solidly or hollowly formed, whichever is desired, and which can be made from wood, metal, or any other suitable material.

The base bars 10 are each provided with casters 12, supporting the same for rolling movement.

Projecting upwardly from each base bar 10, intermediate the opposite ends thereof, is an elongated, straight, tubular member 14, formed at its lower end with an outwardly directed mounting flange 16 having uniformly, angularly spaced openings receiving screws or equivalent fastening elements. Slidablytelescoping in the upper end of the tubular member 14 is an extension 18, which can be either hollow or solidly formed, as desired. In the illustrated example, the extension 18 is tubularly constructed, for lightness without sacrifice of strength and has a plurality of uniformly spaced openings 20, any of which is adapted to receive a drop pin 22 carried by the upper end portion of member 14 on a chain 24, said pin being exte'ndable through an opening ofmember 14 which registers with a selected opening 20. The telescopic members 14, 18 may be made of two, three or more sections. v

Welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the upper extremities of the extension 18 are coaxial support bar members 26, said members projecting toward each other in the space between the extensions 18, and slidably telescoping at their adjacent, confronting ends in the opposite ends of a tube or sleeve 28. Members 26 and sleeve 23 cooperate to define an overhead or support bar of adjustable length, from which garment hangers or the like, not shown, can be suspended.

Connections are extended between the base bars 10, adapted for longitudinally bracing the dress rack, and said connections include three parallel brace members 30 having outer ends secured to the inner surface of the associated base bar 10. The members 30 project horizontally from the associated base bar 10, with the members 30 of one base bar being coaxial with the corresponding members 30 of the other base bar. The inner ends of the several members 30 are slidably telescoped in sleeves 32.

Itwill be seen from this arrangement that the overall height of the dress rack can be readily adjusted, by sliding the extensions 18 inwardly or outwardly of their associated members 14,, whichever is desired. When the height adjustment is made, the drop pinsare used to retain the adjustment.

Independently of or in combination with the height adjustment, the dress rack can be adjusted for length, that is, in its horizontal direction. The base bars are moved toward or away from each other, with the overhead support bar and the longitudinal brace means 30, 32 increasing or contracting in length, as necessary.

Thus, a dress rack which can be extended to its maximum size illustrated in Fig.1 can be collapsed to a minimum size illustrated in Fig. 4. The dress rack when so collapsed is capable of storage in a relatively small space, and can thus be carried by salesmen without difficulty.

In Figs. and 6, there is shown a modified construction. This construction has the same characteristic as the form of Figs. 1-4, as regards the adjustment of the base bars toward and away from each other for the purpose of reducing the overall horizontal dimension of the dress rack.

In this form, the base bars have been designated at 34, and carry casters 36. A rectangular frame 38 is provided with substantially rectangular U-shaped ends 40 each of which includes a bight 42 and legs 44, the legs 44 of the respective ends 40 slidably telescoping in sleeves or tubes 46.

It will be noted that at the intersection of each leg 44 with its associated bight there is defined a cornerportion 48. The corner portions are slightly rounded in the illustrated embodiment, and are adapted to be received in transverse recesses 50 formed in the respective base bars medially between the opposite ends of the base bars. Recesses 50 open upon the top and inner side surfaces of the base bars. At opposite sides of each recess 50 there are provided openings or recesses 52.

It will be noted that when a corner portion is engaged in a recess 50, a clamp plate 54 may be applied to cover the recess. Clamp plate 54 is of inverted L-shape, and has at its opposite ends arcuate recesses 56 adapted to receive the leg and bight, respectively, of the adjacent corner portion 48. The clamp plates 54 have openings 58 registering with the openings 52, to receive screws 60 which may have knurled heads to facilitate their rotation by hand.

Thus, it can be seen that the frame can be adjusted between the full and dotted line positions shown in Fig. 5.

The overall length of the frame can, of course, be adjusted through the provision of the tubes 46. Therefore, when the frame is in its full line position, the dress rack is of substantial length but comparatively low height. The length of the dress rack can be adjusted as previously noted.

If it is desired to have '1 dress rack of greater height but shorter length, one turns the rectangular frame .through 90 as shown in dotted lines, and of course, to

do this, one removes the respective clamping plates, after which on turning of the frame, the two corner portions disposed at the lower end thereof are engaged in the recesses 50 and the clamping plates 54 are reapplied.

Means would be provided, of course, to insure that the frame could be retained in any selected position of adjustment. In other words, setscrews 62 or the like could be extended through the walls of the sleeves, to bear against the legs 44.

Obviously, the dress rack illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 can be collapsed to a small size by turning the frame to its dotted line position and then reducing the height of the frame to the minimum extent.

30' are shown projecting from the base bar 60' but if desired, any other number of brace members 30' may be provided.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A garment rack comprising a rollable support means, and garment support means of adjustable size carried by the rollable support means, said rollable support means comprising a pair of base bars and casters mounted upon said base bars, the garment support means comprising a substantially rectangular frame disposed in a vertical plane and connected to the base bars, said base bars extending transversely of said plane, and being intersected by said plane medially between their ends, the base bars having transverse recesses, said frame having corner portions selected ones of which are engageable in said recesses to mount the frame upon the base bars, the frame being of elongated formation, and being adapted for rotation ninety degrees in its own plane to dispose its greater dimension either horizontally or vertically, as desired, said rack further including clamp plates connectable to the base bars in positions over the recesses, said clamp plates having end recesses receiving the adjacent portions of the frame and securing the corner portions of the frame in the recesses of the base bars.

2. A garment rack according to claim 1, wherein said frame comprises two substantially rectangular U-shaped members and two tubes, said members having legs telescopically slidable in the respective tubes, and means for retaining the legs in the tubes in selected positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 5,758 Bly Feb. 10, 1874 1,891,920 Eaton Dec. 27, 1932 1,942,341 Mangin Jan. 2, 1934 2,691,203 Wilder Oct. 12, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 363,829 Great Britain Dec. 31, 1931 

